Foreigners share our taste for top beers

It seems everyone, inside and outside of Ireland, loves Irish beer.

A new report shows that beer is the country's number one alcoholic drink of choice with 47pc of adults drinking it.

And the Irish Brewers Association (IBA), who compiled the figures, also found that exports of Irish-made beer rose by 7pc in 2013.

RENAISSANCE

The IBA says that there is now a "renaissance" in the beer industry in Ireland with lots of new brewers starting up in the business.

"It is a sector which has continued to show resilience despite extremely difficult trading conditions in the last 12 months," said IBA chief Thomas Burke.

He said that the industry employs almost 2,000 people directly thanks to growth in exports.

"The sector continues to make a huge contribution to the Irish economy both directly and indirectly with close to 2,000 direct employees and thousands more jobs supported from grain to glass," Mr Dunne stated.

Last year the industry employed 1,506 people directly.

The IBA chief is now calling on the Government to support the industry and reverse tax rises.

The Government added 28c to the price of pint via duty and VAT increases last year.

"The Government must now support this sector of the economy by reducing the excise burden and allowing these emerging breweries to achieve their huge potential," added the IBA chief.

CRAFT

Meanwhile the craft beer scene in Ireland has also seen a boom.

The Irish craft beer industry is on course for sales of more than €15m in 2014, with sales increasing by 50pc this year alone.

In total sales have increased by 180pc since 2011.

By the end of this year there will be approximately 50 micro breweries operating in Ireland.